Garage and vehicle toy



Jan. 30, 1940 I MULLER I 2,188,739 7 GARAGE AND VEHICLE TOY Filed May 3 1938 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY 40- H.'MULLER 2,188,739

- GARAGE AND VEHICLE TOY Filed May 5, 1938 lysheet-sheet 2 INVENTOR I M f ATTORNEY Jan. 30, 1940. H. MULLER A GARAGE AND VEHICLE TOY 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 3, 1938 M R E W m M w 4 fl 1M ,\n Aw T ifl 1 u I,.M M p z a 7. M 2 3 MJ/ fl r Patented Jan. 30, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application May a, 1938, Serial No. 205,710 In Germany August 14, 1937 22 Claims.

This invention relates to toys and more particularly. to a garage for toy vehicles. The primary object of the invention is to provide a garage with a door with one or two wings which can be closed mechanically by an entering vehicle and can be opened in one or more ways, as by operating a dummy telephone which is located on the outside of the garage, or by operating the door handle of the garage, or by the push of the vehicle against the closed door after the gear of the vehicle has been reversed within the garage.

The mechanical closing of the one or two wings of the door is effected by the vehicle taking along or pushing back a lever which projects into the path of the vehicle, and which lever is slidable or pivoted. The lever may be termed the garage-lever". I l

The mechanical opening of the door is effected 20 for example by pressing upon the cradle of the dummy telephone or by pulling on the phone cord. The phone cord of the receiver can be replaced by a Bowden transmission device, the actuation of which opens the door. The Bowden transmission device may be operated by means of a handle 'on the telephone receiver.

The door can also be opened and closed by hand independent, of the automatic opening de-' vice, for example by operatinga door handle secured to a wing of the door and connected with a bolt.

Another object of the invention is to lock the door when closed by the entering vehicle or by hand and to unlock it again upon operation of the above mentioned controlling devices or upon opening the door by hand.

Another important advantage of the invention is that the garage-lever is moved forward when the door is opened either by the mechanical conalso has the advantage that said vehicle, the

driving gear of which was reversed after entering the garage, is pushed forward by this lever in leaving the garage whereby its start is accelerated.

Another important advantage is that the mechanical devices for opening and closing the door can be arranged within the toy garage, preferably under the roof. As aconsequence the entrance is clear and an even floor can be used. This arrangement has the further advantage, that said trol devices or by hand. By this movement of the devices are protected against damages and twists, and the shape of the garage is preserved.

The value of the invention is considerably increased by the fact that the construction admits an independent use of the individual devices for 6 opening and closing the door.

Any suitable toy vehicle may be used for the automatic opening and closing of the garage door, but it is especially interesting and nice for the playing child and any spectators, if atoy 10 car is used,the driving direction and speed ratio of which are automatically changed upon encountering a resistance, as the toy car corresponding to the German patent application M137,320m-77f, or my'corresponding, U. S. application Serial No. 144,061, filed May 21, 1937. Said car drives slowly backward into the garagacloses the door, and changes itself automatically from reverse gear into a fast forward gear, as soon as its gear shift lever (formed to simulate a bumper) meets a resistance on the garage-lever in the end position of the latter, or as soon as the bumper strikes the back wall of the garage. After the gear shifting operation,. the toy runs forward again but immediately abuts against the closed front doors. By means of a fictitious telephone call the door is unlocked and mechanically opened by a slightpull on the cord of the receiver, or by pressing down the cradle (preferably on restoring the receiver) of the dummy telephone. The 3 toy vehicle then starts out of the garage with high forward speed. The reopening of the door can alsobe efiected after the gear shift opera tion, by the impact of the car running outward against the door which had been closed behind 5 the car. For this purpose the lock is adapted to be made inoperative for example by a lever or slide I36 (Fig. 10) mounted on the garage and adapted to be pushed in between the project'- ing element I31 and the wall of the garage, 40 whereby the latch H8 is lifted and the tooth l2| is kept disengaged from the slidable bar, I03.

It is even more interesting and entertaining for the playing child and any spectator playing with the toy garage if a toy car according to the German patent applications M136,949XI-77f, and M137,320-XI-77f is used. My corresponding U. S. applicationsare Serial No. 130,778, filed March 13, 1937, and Serial No. 144,061, filed May 21, 1937. When both these inventions are used together with the present invention a combination of toys is created which offers an infinite number of possibilities for the child and simultaneously represents a true and correct imitation of the reality. The reversing of a toy car entering a garage can ofcourse alsobe done by an additional device, for example a lever mounted on' the garage and to be operated from the outside.

The scope of the present invention is not at all limited to the shown and described embodiments. It is quite possible to use many other'embodimerits without changing the principle of the invention. For example the toy garage may be replaced by another kind of toy building, say a s drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view explanatory of the operation of a toy vehicle and garage embodying features of my invention;. V

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with the vehicle in the garage, a part of the garage being cutaway to expose the vehicle;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken in the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and Fig. 2;

" Fig. 4 is a section taken in the plane ofthe line plane of the line iii-40 of Fig. 9;-

- and 3!.

iii)

'wardor dotted-line position B.

Fig. 5 shows the garage in plan with the roof removed, and corresponds to a view taken in the plane ofthe line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is-a similar plan view but with the doors in open position;

Fig.. 7 is a section taken in elevation in. the plane of the line- 7-1 of Fig. 5; I

Fig. 8 is explanatory of theoperation of the telephone cradle;

Fig. 9 is a plan view generally similar to Fig. 5, butv showing a modified form of the invention} Fig. 10 is a section taken in elevation in the Fig. 11 is a plan viewlike Fig. 9, but with the doors open;

Fig. 12 is a section "taken in elevation in the. plane of the line I2-i2 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is an elevation of the simulated telephone and cradle; and

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary ele'vationlooking at the front of the garage with the doors closed and is explanatory of some features of the inven- ,tion.-- I

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the toy comprises a vehicle A. which, in this case. simulates an automobile, and a garage G having openable front doors 3D The-toyvehicle A may be provided with reversing gear'mechanism operated. for example, by a rear bumper B. The auto is driven in forward direct on when. the bumper B is in its forward or solid-line position. and is driven in rearward direction when the bumper is in the rear- In practice. the auto A is placed in front of the gara e with the bumper in rearward position B; The doors of the garage are open. The auto runs rearwardly into the garage, and. by its own rearward movement, operates to close the doors 30. 3| behind it. Thisis accomplished by reason -of a garage lever d (Fig. 2) which is interposed in the .path of the rearwardlymoving vehicle, and

the vehicle bears against garage lever 4 and this, in turn, is connected to the doors andcloses the same.

' As the toy auto proceeds rearwardly within the garage, the bumper B finally strikes the rear wall 50 of .the garage, and this shifts the bumper from its rearward to its forward position, whereupon the auto attempts to run forwardly but it is prevented from doing so by the closed doors of the garage which, meanwhile, have been latched by appropriate detent mechanism, subsequently described. It may be observed that the garage lever 4 is preferably terminatedabove the bumper B, thus obviating any possibility of premature reversal of the toy auto such as might take place if the bumper were permitted to strike the garage lever. 'The toy auto is provided with a fin F which carries out the streamlined appearance of the auto, .and this fin acts as a convenient bearing element for hearing against the garage lever 6 during rearward movement. of the vehicle into the garage. The toy auto is reversed only after the vehicle has moved all the way rearwardly, and thereby has closed and latched'the doors. Incidentally, it will be observed that the garage leveri extends upwardly to the roof portion of the garage, and I may explain that all of the operating mechanism of the garage is carried in the roof portion beneath the roof plate 52. This has the advantage of accessibility, and, even more importantly, of keeping the bottom of the garage fiat on the floor or table surface, so that the toy auto readily enters the garage.

The doors are opened and the auto runs out of the garage in response to any one of a number of operations. For example, the telephone i may be removed from cradle 6 and a simulated telephone conversation may' be carried on ordering that the auto be delivered from the garage. During or near the end of this simulated conversation, the telephone cord 9 may be pulled, without spectators noticing that fact, and the pull of the telephone cord operates to release the door latch, to open the doors, and to start the auto out of the garage. The auto is already attempting to run out of the garage and may need no start, but a forcible start is desirable, first, to insure starting of the vehicle, and, secondly, to accelerate the vehicle so that it starts at higher speed.

Another way that these operations may be obtained is by depressing the cradle 6 downwardly when replacing the telephone 1 on the cradle. The doors may also be opened by turning handle 32 on one of the doors and then either pulling the door open, or permitting the auto to push the doors open.

Theoperating mechanism of the toy garage is shown in greater detail in Figs. 3 through 7 of the drawings.

In said figures of the drawings is shown diagrammatically and by way of example a garage with a two winged door and a dummy telephone on the outside of the garage. It is assumed that the vehicle has already entered the garage and closed and locked the door wings;

The entering toy vehicle pushes against the garage-lever fl pivotally mounted in the sidewalls of the garage I by means of two journals 28 and 29. The lever 4 is hingedly connected to a slide bar 3. The entering toy car pushes and turns the lever 4 back and the slide bar 3 is drawn back into its end position. The door wings 30 and 3| are pivotally mounted on the hinges 26 and 21 on thegarage wall and ""are connected with the slide bar 3 by two links articulated at 22, 24; 23, 25. The parts Ill, 72 are formed integrally with the slide bar 3 at the forward end thereof.

The closing of the door wings; is performed by\ 75' pushing back the slide bar 3. As soon as this bar reaches its end position the tooth 2I of the latch I8 pivotally mounted in the garage by means of the journals I9 and 20, snaps into the slide bar 3 and locks both door wings.

The unlocking and the opening of two door wings can be performed by several devices. The receiver I of the telephone 5 is removed from its cradle 6. During the fictitious telephone call the phone cord 9 -of the receiver 1 is slightly pulled. The phone'cord 9 is fixed in a' hole I3 of a bell crank lever I0 mounted on the .cover plate 2 by means of the pivot II. 7

When the bell crank lever I0 is rocked around this pivot by the pull on the phone cord 9, a second bell crank lever 3 is rockedaround its shaft 54 because of a lug 56 on lever I0 bearing against lever B. Thereby the latch I8 is lifted and the tooth 2I disengaged. During this move-- ment the second bell crank lever B elevates latch I8 and tooth 2 I, by lug 58 camming against latch slope 00 and lever 0 bears against the lug I5 of the slide bar 3 and pushes it forward whereby the door wings pivoted to the bar 3 are opened outward. The slide bar 3 moving forward carries along the garage-lever 4 to which it is pivotedand thereby pushes the toy-vehicle out of the garage. When the pull of thephone cord 9 ceases both bell crank levers are pressed back into their initial positions by the spring I4 secured to the cover plate at I5, and spring I 4.

The bell crank lever B can also be operated by depressing the cradle of the telephone, which cradle is mounted on rod 6| which is slidable in telephone box 5. The cradle, slidable on the side wall of the garage, as shown in Figs! and 8, has a part 63 which bears against and control a bell crank lever H which is pivoted at 02, and which, in turn, rocks the end 84 of bell crank lever 8 out of its initial position whereby the latch I8 is disengaged, the-slide bar 3 is carried forward, and both door wings are opened. The garage wall is slotted at 59 to slidably receive the connection between part 63 and cradle 6. The

bell crank I1 is normally held upwardly by re toring spring 55. The opening of the door wings can also be effected by rocking the door. handle 32 whereby the slide rod 33 connected therewith (see Figs. 3 and 6) is lifted. which in turn bears against lug 66 and thereby lifts the latch I3, thereby disengaging the tooth 2I of this latch from the slide bar 3 and unlocking the door. Both door wings. can then be opened by hand, as by pulling the handle 32 and door 30 outward, whereby the slide bar 3 is carried forward and the garage-lever 4 connected therewith is rocked forward. The lu 2I ofthe latch I8 can be permanently disengaged from the slide bar 3 byslipping awedge in between the wall of the garage and the tail 31 (Fig. 7) of the latch I8.

This is better shown in the modification of Figs. 9 through 14 of the drawings, which is next described.

The entering toy vehicle pushes against the garage-lever I04 which is pivotally mounted in the sidewalls of the garage IOI by means of two journals I 28 and I29. The lever I04 is pivotally connected to a slide bar I03. The entering toy car pushes and turns the lever I04 back, and the slide bar I03, connected therewith is drawn back into its end position. The door wings I30 and I3I are pivotally mounted by the hinges I26 and I2'I on the garage walls and are connected with the slide bar I03 by two links pivoted at I22, I24; I23. I25. The bifurcations I42, I44 (Fig. 11) are formed integrally ward end thereof. The closing of the door wings is performed by-drawing back the slide bar I03.

As soon as the slide bar I03 reaches its end posi- -tion the tooth I2I of the latch II8, pivoted to the pulled. The phone cord I09 is fixed in a hole I I3 of a bell crank lever IIO which is mounted on the cover plate I02 by means of the pivot I I I.

When the bell crank lever H0 is swung around by the pull onthe phone cord I09, the latch H8 is lifted and the tooth I2I disengaged, this being done by part I46 of bell crank'lever H0. The

with, slide bar I03 at the for- Y part I48 of the bell crank lever during this movement picks up the lug IIG .of the slide bar I03 and pushes said bar forward whereby the door wings pivoted thereto are opened outward. The slide bar I03 moving forward takes along the garage-lever I04 pivotally connected to said-bar, and thereby pushes the toy vehicle out of the garage. When the pull of the phone cord I 09 ceases the bell crank lever is pressed back into its originalposition by the spring II 4 fixed to the cover plate at II5.

The bell crank lever IIO can also be operated by depressing the normally upwardly spring pressed telephone cradle I06fwhich is slidably mounted onthe sidewall of the garage and is connected to the. bell. crank lever III! by means of a cord I00 secured at H2. The downward movement of the cradle is transmitted to the bell crank lever by means of the cord which is passed around a guide roller I IT. .The bell crank. lever H0 is thereby rocked from its position of,rest,.

the latch H8 is elevated, the slide bar I03 is carried forward, and both door wings are opened. The opening of the door wings can also be effected by rocking the door handle I32 whereby the slide rod I33 connected therewith is lifted which in turn lifts the latch IIB. See Figures 10 and 14. Thereby the tooth I2I of latch H8 is disengaged from the slide bar I03 and the door is unlocked. Both door wings then can be opened by hand whereby the slide bar I03 is carried forward and the lever I04 connected therewith is rocked forward. I The tooth I2I of the latch H8 is adapted to be permanently disengaged from the slide bar I03 by the wedge I36, pivoted at I40, adaptedto be slipped in between the wall of the garage and the tail I'3'I of the latch. (See Fig. 12.)

The cord connections may be replaced of course by scissor-like linkages or telescopic connections. Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, I may explain that the front end of the garage is stiffened by an inverted U-shaped wire IS, the vertical sides I0 of which act as hinge wires for the doors 30 and 3|. The forward edges of the sidewalls of thegarage are curled about the vertical wire legs I8 over parts not occupied by the door edges. The roof plate 52 is bodily removable from the garage, it being held in place by inturned flanges 80. To remove the roof, it is 'merely necessary to spring the edges outwardly, and when the roof is removed, the operating mechanism of the garage mounted on top plate 2 is fully exposed. The

wedge I36, shown in Figs. 9 through 14, may

also .be used in the form of the invention shown in Figs. 5 through 8, and when this wedge or any following claims.

other obstruction is inserted between the front wall of the garage and the lip or flange 3?, the latch plate I8 is held in inoperative position. In

such case, the toy auto simply backs into the garage, the doors close behind it, the auto is reversed, and it promptly runs forwardly outof the age. I i, I It is believedthat the construction and operation, as well asthe many advantages of my improved garage and vehicle toy, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description thereof. It will also be apparent that, while I have shown and described my invention in several preferred forms, many changes and modifications may be made in the structures disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the I claim:

1. A toy garage comprising a simulated build:

and the back of the garage.

2. A toy garage comprising a simulated building, a door at the front of the building, a rigid lever pivotally suspended from the top of said garage directly in the path of a vehicle entering the garage, a telephone'simulatlon outside the garage arranged to move said lever toward the door, and linkage at the roof of the garage connecting said lever to said door in order to close the door behinda vehicle which has entered the garage, said lever remaining at all times between the vehicle and the closed end of the garage.

3. A toy garage comprising a simulated building, a door at the front of the building, a pusher movablymounted in said garage directly in the path of a vehicle entering the garage, linkage connecting said pusher to said door in order to close the door behind a vehicle which has entered the garage, and control means outside the garage l, to move the pusher toward the door in order to open the door and eject the vehicle.

4. In combination, a toy vehicle having a spring motor and reversing mechanism functioning in response to a bumper disposed'on said vehicle, and'a toy garage having a door, a lever suspended from the top of the garage and interposed in the path of the vehicle entering the garage, but at a point higher than the bumper, and linkage near the roof of the garage connecting said lever with said door whereby the vehicle on entering the garage closes the door behind it and thereupon is reversed to run out of the'garage.

5. In combination, a toy vehicle having a spring 'motor and reversing mechanism functioning in response to a bumper disposed on said vehicle, and a toy garage having a door, means movably mounted in the garage and interposed in the path of the vehicle entering the garage, and linkage so connecting said means with said door" that the vehicle on entering the garage closes thedoor behind it and is reversed to run' out of the garage.

6. In combination, a toy vehicle, and a toy garage having a door, a lever suspended from the top of the garage and interposed in the path of the vehicle entering the garage, linkage near the roof of the garage connecting said lever with said door whereby the vehicle on entering the garage closes the door behind it, and control means outside the garage for moving the lever toward the door in order to open the door and" eject the vehicle. I

'7. In combination, a toy vehicle having a motor and reversing mechanism function-ing in response to: a bumper disposed on said vehicle, and a toy garage having a door, movable means interposed 1 in the path of the vehicle entering the garage, linkage so connecting said lever with said door that the vehicle on entering the garage closes the door behind it and is reversed so that it attempts to leave the garage, latch means to lock' the door in closed position when it has been closed by the vehicle,'and control means to release the latch, thereby permitting departure of the vehicle. H

8. In combination, a toy vehicle having a motor and reversing mechanism functioning in response to a bumper disposed on said vehicle, and. a toy garage having a door, a lever suspended from the top of the garage and interposed in the path of the vehicle entering the garage, but at a point higher than the bumper, linkage near the roof of the garage connecting said lever with said door whereby the vehicle on entering the garage closes the door behind it and thereupon is reversedso that it attempts to leave the garage, latch means to lock thedoor in closed position when it has been closed by the vehicle, and control'means to release the latch, therebypermitting departure of the vehicle.

9. In combination, a toy vehicle having a motor and reversing mechanism functioning in response to a bumper disposed on said vehicle, and a toy garage having a door, a pusher movably mounted in the garage and interposed in the path of the vehicle entering the garage,

that the vehicle on entering the garage closes the door behind it, latch means to lock the door in closed position when it has beenclosed by the vehicle, control means to release the latch, and

, linkage so connecting said pusher with said door motor and reversing mechanism functioning in response to a bumper disposed on said vehicle, and a toy garage having a door, means interposed in the path of the vehicle entering the garage, linkage so connecting said means with saiddoor that the vehicle on entering the garage closes the door behind it and thereupon is reversed so that it attempts to leave the garage, latch means to lock said door in closed position when it has been closed by the vehicle, a simulated telephone, and means whereby said telephone releases the latch, thereby permitting departure of the vehicle.

11. In combination, a toy vehicle having a motor and reversing mechanism functioning in response to a bumper disposed on said vehicle, and a toy garage having a door, a lever suspended from the top of the garage and interposed in the path of the vehicle entering the garage,

linkage near the roof of the garage connecting said lever with said door whereby the vehicle on entering the garage closes the door behind it and thereupon is reversed, latch means to lock said door in closed position when it has been closed by the vehicle, a simulated telephone ineluding a simulated receiver and cradle for receiving the same, and means whereby depression of the cradle as the receiver is replaced thereon releases the latch and moves the lever forwardly to accelerate the self propelled movement of the vehicle out of the garage.

12. In combination, a toy vehicle having a motor and reversing mechanism functioning in response to a bumper disposed on said vehicle, and a toy garage having a door, a lever suspended from the top of the garage and interposed in the path of the vehicle entering the garage, linkage near the roof of the garage connecting said lever "with said door whereby the vehicle on entering the garagecloses the door behind it and thereupon is reversed, latch means to lock said door in closed position when it has been closed by the vehicle, a simulated telephone including a simulated receiver and cord connected thereto, and means whereby a pull on said cord releases the latch and moves the lever forwardly to accelerate the self propelled movement of the vehicle out of the garage.

13. A toy garage comprising a simulated garage building, a door, latch means for holding the door in closed position, a pusher member in said garage movable froma rearward to a forward position in order to eject a vehicle from the garage, a simulated telephone, and means whereby said telephone releases the latch and moves the lever forwardly to eject the vehicle.

14. A toy garage comprising a simulated garage building, a door, latch means for holding the door in closed position, a pusher member in said garage movable from a rearward to a forward position in order to eject a vehicle from the garage, a simulated telephone including a simulated receiver and cord connected thereto, and means whereby a pull on said cord releases the latch and moves the lever forwardly to eject the vehicle.

15. A toy garage comprising a simulated garage building, a door, latch means for holding the door in closed position, a pusher member in said garage movable from a rearward to a forward position in order to eject a vehicle from the garage, a simulated telephone including a slum lated'receiver and cradle for receiving the same, and means whereby depression of the cradle as the receiver is replaced thereon releases the latch and moves the lever forwardly to eject the vehicle.

16. Toy garage with a hinged door, a lever in the garage connected to the door, and a control means of a latch upon closing, and that the latch is unlocked by actuation of the controlv element provided outside of thegarage.

' l 18. Garage for toy vehicles according to claim 16 characterized by that the control element is in the form of a signal device.

19.. Garagefor toy vehicles according to claim 16 characterized by that the control element provided outside of the garage is in the form of a side and which is arranged in'such amanner that the latch is held disengaged and made-inoperative so that the doors are not locked upon the closing.

21. Garage for toy vehicles according to claim 16 characterized by that the garage is provided 'witha latch to lock the door, and the door is provided with a control element thereon by the operating'of which the latch is disengaged sothat the door can be opened.

22. Garage for toy vehicles according to claim 16 characterized by that the control devices for mechanically unlocking and opening or closing and locking respectively of the door are provided in the upper part of the garage under the roof.

'rmmaror-r MULLER. 

